Magnetic Reynolds Number


Table of Contents

The Magnetic Reynolds Number is a dimensionless number used in magnetohydrodynamics to describe the relative balance of magnetic advection to magnetic diffusion.



where:
σ is the electrical conductivity of the fluid,
μ0 is the magnetic permeability of free space,
L is the characteristic length scale of the fluid flow,
U0 is the characteristic velocity of the fluid flow.

A typical value for the Earth is Rm ~ 200[1] .


References


  1. ^ Gubbins, D. (2007), Geodynamo, dimensional analysis and timescales, in Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism, edited by D. Gubbins and E. Herrero-Bervera, pp. 297–300, Springer, Dordrecht.


See Also


List of Dimensionless Numbers